The Meat Easy

Last year, Charlotte reviewed the Meat Wagon on our blog. Charl's report made me more than a bit jealous that I had missed out on trying one of their now famous burgers that evening. Since then I had been keeping an eye on their website in the hopes that I would be able to find out the next time the wagon would be stationed nearby. Then, just before Christmas, the terrible news broke that the Meat Wagon van had been stolen!

I am sure any meat eating food fan in south London will be well aware by now that in the abscence of their mobile kitchen, the crew behind the Meat Wagon have set-up the Meat Easy which is above the Goldsmiths Tavern in New Cross where they cook up the same fabulous burgers as they did in the wagon. The pop-up restaurant will be there until at least mid-March by when they will hopefully have raised enough money to get a new van and hit the road once more.

A couple of weeks ago, Julia and I made the trip to see what all the fuss is about. After reviews in the Metro and Timeout and several tales of interminable waiting times we got there as early as we could on a saturday to hopefully beat the crowds. We made our way round the back of the Goldsmiths Tavern, past a mountain of rubbish bags, up the metal stair case and into the Meat Easy, the advertised opening time is 6pm but we got there at 5.30pm and the doors were already open and people were tucking into food and drinks. We were handed tickets number 23 and 24 and didn't have to wait long before our numbers were called and we could place our order, we were happily munching our burgers by 6.30pm! I definitely wouldn't have minded a longer wait just sat on a comfy sofa, sipping drinks out of jam jars, listening to good tunes and absorbing the atmosphere. However by 6pm the place was pretty packed and I wouldn't have fancied standing up by the bar for too much of the evening.


The burgers were cooked perfectly, still slightly pink in the middle, the cheese was tasty and under the burger were plenty of crunchy gherkins. The grease pours over your hands as you devour it but luckily there are large rolls of kitchen towel on hand to wipe up the mess.

They have a few other things on the menu like chilli dogs and macaroni cheese but I think I would have to visit several more times before even considering straying away from choosing a burger.

I thought the prices were reasonable, given the decent quality ingredients. The cheese burgers were £6.00 each and sides (we had a portion of fries and onion rings between us) were £3.00 each. The cocktails being served up looked excellent but we did not try any (definitely next time!), our soft drinks were only £1.00 so the total came to £10.00 each!

My advice - go there and sample a burger while you know where to find them, and get there early!

Rachael x

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Apple Pureé with Syllabub

by Ceri x


January saw a 29th Birthday in the Keston household for Jules, as you may have seen by the previous cake post by Rachie (completely amazing rainbow cake). A Keston birthday is one that is traditionally celebrated with a slap up meal prepared by the other housemates, lots of fizzy wine and a lovely time all round.

Another tradition is that usually we will all usually take charge of a course each. Desserts are not usually my course of choice for the simple fact that I am much more of a savoury kind of girl. Charlotte made the decision that she would make a few dishes from the recent cookery book addition to the Kitchen which is Ottolenghi's 'Plenty'. The dishes that came from that book that evening were mouthwatering vegetarian delights, which I am sure Charlotte will be pleased to blog if of interest. Alternatively, I would very much urge that you buy the book. It is simply brilliant and there were a lot of happily full tummy's all round.

So on to the pudding. Jules is traditionally queen of this particular area so I felt the pressure was on. My first thought was that I was really keen to make a Tarte Tatin. Dissapointingly we didn't have the dish necessary and I wasn't able to shell out £70 for a new one. I then turned to the wonderful book, 'Spooning with Rosie' for ideas and found exactly what I was after.

Rosie is something of an inspiration to the Keston Kitchen. She is a fellow South London lass who set up her own Deli in Brixton around 5 years ago and has published the wonderful recipe book where I found this gem. The book and Deli are both well worh a visit and she is very much a lady after our own hearts. Apple Pureé with Syllabub was an indulgent yet light end to a wonderful meal. I was on a bit of a January health kick and despite the cream, it didn't feel too naughty. It's a relatively simple and tasty dessert which I would wholeheartedly recommend. Thanks Rosie. x

The Pureé
10 Apples
1 Lemon
200 ml water
1 cinnamon

Core and peel the apples and roughly chop into pieces. Place the apples in a large saucepan with the juice of the lemon, the water and the cinnamon stick. With the lid on, simmer on a medium heat for about 40 mins, stirring from time to time. When the water has mostly gone, and you are left with a pulpy pureé, turn off the heat and leave it to cool right down. This may take a couple of hours. I actually did this step the night before, as we had the birthday dinner on a weeknight, so I wanted to be prepared for the following day.

The Syllabub
3 Tablespoons medium sherry
1 Tablespoon dry vermouth
2 teaspoons rose water
3 tablespoons caster sugar
a little orange zest
200 ml double cream
freshly grated nutmeg

Measure the sherry, vermouth, rose water and sugar out into a small mixing bowl, followed by the orange zest. Thouroughly mix this all together and let it sit to dissolve the sugar and really infuse the scents. When the apple pureé is room temperature, you are ready to assemble. First decant the pureé into ramekins (I used wine glasses as I thought it looked pretty) and set these aside.
Measure out the double cream into a medium mixing bowl, and add the alcoholic syrup. Using a whisk, lightly beat for a few minutes. When the cream is softly forming peaks and is delicate to the touch, but not too stiff, your syllabub is perfect. Spoon this over the potted up pureé and grate a little nutmeg over it. Place in the fridge for half an hour until you are ready to serve up and enjoy the most wonderfully English sweet.

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Dark Chocolate Orange Tart

Today is the 1st of February, which means that anyone who is in possession of a Keston Kitchen 2011 calendar will be turning the page to feast their eyes on the second recipe.
The recipe this month is a dark chocolate tart laced with orange, the recipe is also written below and as promised on the calendar, I have included full pastry making instructions.
I made the tart pictured on the weekend and to the delight of my work mates (and the disgust of my housemates) took it into the office on Monday to be devoured.
The quantities here actually make a bit more pastry than you need but you can trim of the excess to leave a neat edge and use the left overs to make another mini tart or anything else that you fancy.
When I was younger I was a REALLY fussy eater but pastry was always something that I liked helping my mum to make and also to eat. When we had to provide a recipe for the primary school cook book, I picked jam roly poly which is just jam spread on leftover shortcrust pastry, rolled up and baked along side the pie or tart you are making. They still taste pretty good!

Ingredients (enough for a 23cm/ 9 inch tart tin or 4-6 tartlet cases):

Sweet shortcrust pastry:
150g plain flour
30g icing sugar
75g unsalted butter cut into cubes
Zest of half an orange
1 egg yolk
A dribble of milk

Chocolate filling:
200g dark chocolate (I used 70%)
200ml double cream
50ml milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp of orange liqueur (Cointreau)
Zest of half an orange

Method:
Sieve the icing sugar and flour into a mixing bowl, add the cubed butter and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture looks like bread crumbs, add the beaten egg yolk and a few drops of milk until the crumbs clump together and you can form the pastry into a ball. Dust with flour, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Roll out the chilled pastry (either homemade or pre-bought) to the thickness of a pound coin and put into the greased tart tin/ tartlet tins, then chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes before baking, this helps reduce shrinking and cracking during cooking.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C
Line the tart(s) with greaseproof paper and bake blind using baking beads (or rice or dried chickpeas) for 10 minutes. Then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry has just started to turn golden.


To make the filling, heat the cream and milk in a saucepan. Chop the chocolate into small bits and place in a heatproof bowl. When the cream is just about to boil, pour it over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted. Beat the egg in another bowl and then add the chocolate mixture a bit at a time, whisking as you go. Finally stir in the zest and Cointreau before pouring the mixture into the pre-baked pastry case(s).
Bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes until the chocolate mixture has begun to set. Turn the oven off but leave the tart(s) inside to cool slowly for about 30 minutes. Remove and allow to completely cool. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar. I cut a heart shape out of greaseproof paper and used it to mask the centre before sieving over the icing sugar.

The tart is very dark and not too sweet, maybe serve a slice with some whipped cream or ice cream.
Happy baking!

Rachael x

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Leg of Lamb stuffed with Feta, Olives and Herbs

I was lucky enough to receive a very generous birthday present last year of a days cookery course at Leiths School of Food and Wine in West London. The course I choose was knife skills and butchery. We learnt how to prepare 3 joints of meat for the oven and the best bit was being able to bring them home afterwards! The first piece of meat we tackled was tunnel boning a leg of lamb, this is something you could easily ask your butcher to do for you.
If you want to do it yourself, there isn't really a secret, it is just a matter of following the bones with you knife and working round the joints. Make sure you have a sharp knife, hold the joint with one had and the knife with your other, always cut away from the hand holding the meat. Starting at one end of the leg, scrape and cut the flesh away from the bone and then work from the other end. Cut the skin as little as possible at the shank end. Make sure you get the knee cap out as well as the leg bones, also remove any glands from the meat which are translucent grey nodules about the size of a hazel nut. While you are there you can also remove any excess fat from the outside and inside of the cavity.
Tunnel boning, rather than cutting the leg open means that you can stuff the leg and it needs minimal effort to secure everything before roasting.

So on Sunday I decided it was time I cooked the leg of lamb that I have had prepared and stored in the freezer since November! I had a look online and choose a Gordon Ramsay recipe I found on the times website. His recipe for the stuffing has tonnes of ingredients and the juices that poured out of the joint while it cooked made a very strong tasting but totally delicious gravy. I served the lamb with simple Boulangere potatoes and broccoli so as to avoid adding any more big flavours to the meal. The lamb made a very well received January Sunday roast for 6 and the leftovers, a couple of excellent Monday lunch box sandwiches.
Stuffed leg of lamb is definitely a recipe I would make again, Jamie Oliver's recipe involves olives, anchovies and pine nuts so maybe I'll try that one next time!

Ingredients (serves 6-8):
2-2.5kg boned leg of lamb
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g Feta cheese, chopped into 1cm cubes
Zest of 1 lemon
4 semi-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped (I used about 50g)
50g pitted kalamata olives, chopped
Big handful of spinach leaves, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 large handful of mint leaves, chopped
4 slices of pancetta (I used a few more than that)
Olive oil, to drizzle
Generous splash of red wine

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 220C.
Place the lamb on a chopping board and lightly score the fat in a criss cross pattern. Rub salt and pepper all over and inside the cavity.
Mix together the feta, lemon zest, tomatoes, olives, spinach, garlic and herbs. Spoon the mixture into the cavity of the lamb and press with the back of a spoon to pack as much in as possible.
Wrap both open ends of the lamb with pancetta to secure the filling, then tie with kitchen string at intervals (I put string in both directions, length ways over the pancetta to keep it in place and then a couple more pieces around the joint).
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 190C and roast for 20 minutes per 500g for medium cooked meat (mine took 1 hour 40 minutes).
Half an hour before the lamb is done, pour a generous splash of wine into the pan and continue roasting. Check the lamb 15 minutes before it is ready by piercing the centre with a metal skewer, hold it there for a few seconds and then it should feel warm against your hand when removed.
Take the lamb out of the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the juices from the pan (the juices were delicious but a bit lumpy so I put the pan on the hob, added more wine and reduced it, I added some flour mixed with water to help thicken and it was a lot more uniform in texture and gravy like).

For the Boulangere Potatoes (serves 6):
2 Onions, thinly sliced
A few sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5kg floury potatoes (I used Maris Piper), thinly sliced
425ml veg stock (i made this from Marigold Bouillon)

Method:
Heat the oven to 200C.
Fry the onions and thyme sprigs in the oil until softened and lightly coloured (about 5 mins).
Spread a layer of the sliced potatoes over the base of a 1.5 litre oiled gratin dish.
Sprinkle over some of the onions and continue layering, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Pour over the stock and bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden and crisp.

Best eaten with appreciative housemates and served with a glass of red wine.

Rachael x

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Rainbow Cake

Last weekend we were celebrating the birthday of one of the ladies of the Keston Kitchen. The party theme that Julia decided upon was 'the skys the limit' (themes and fancy dress are compulsory at all Keston parties). We were most impressed with the assortment of pilots, clouds, deities, birds and other creative costumes that turned up at our door. The birthday cake had to of course also fit the theme, it didn't take long before I decided a rainbow cake was called for, with a different colour for each layer of the cake. I consulted Abbie (office baking expert) and she advised using the trusty Madeira cake recipe which I had used for the Keston kitchen cake in November as it is nice and solid and easy to pile high.
I remembered that Philippa (friend from school) had put pictures on facebook of a rainbow cake she had made, she advised using food colouring paste rather than the normal liquid stuff which isn't as effective (i tried making a green velvet cake with normal food colouring once but it came out rather grey!). Apparently Hobby Craft stocks the pastes but I don't have one near me so I bought some online instead, you don't need to use much so they will last me for years.

Rainbow Madeira Cake

The following ingredients will make 2 layers of your cake (so you will need 3 times the ingredients if making 6 layers), my layers were quite big so if I made it again I might use less cake mixture.

175g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
175g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
225g self raising flour
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Splash of milk
A little bit of food colouring paste (i reckon about 1/4 tsp per layer), the brand I used was Wilton and the colours I used for the 6 layers were red-red, golden yellow, leaf green, royal blue, violet and I made orange by adding both red and yellow.

Method:
Assuming you make two layers at a time, line two 7inch cake tins with baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 170C.
Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together with a fork making sure the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture has a paler appearance than when you started.
Whisk in the eggs. Fold in the flour a bit at a time. Then add milk a little at a time until your mixture has a soft drop consistency.
Put half the mixture in another bowl and then add a different colour paste to each bowl. The food colouring paste is gloopy in texture so I just added it a drop at a time until I decided the batter was a suitable shade.
Scrape the mixtures into separate cake tins (which you lined), make sure the mixture is level in the tins so it rises evenly and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. When cooked a skewer will come out clean, don't worry if you cakes look an odd colour as when cut open their true glory will be revealed!

Ju was busy in the kitchen in the lead up to the party and I didn't want her to cotton on to what I was making so I did some serious mid-night baking on the friday and hid the cake before going to bed. I then waited until the party was in full swing on saturday, banned the birthday girl from the kitchen and recruited Fern, Ceri and Tessa to help with the icing.

I used a thin layer of strawberry jam and whipped cream to glue the layers together and then we slapped on the blue cream cheese icing (cream cheese, butter and icing sugar). As I said it was quite late on in the party and I didn't measure the ingredients so the sky blue icing was somewhat runny but it did manage to hide the cakes beneath. I topped the cake with a yellow sun made from roll out icing and a few white clouds on the side which immediately started to slide downwards!

This cake was somewhat of an undertaking but definitely worth it just for the look on Julia's face when she sliced into the tower of cake having no idea what was inside. It also went down well with the rest of the party too!

Rachael x

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Posh Chocolate Fridge Cake

Posh Chocolate Fridge Cake by Charlotte x

It all started one wintery day before Christmas. The light was low and the snow was thick underfoot. My phone rang and it was my sister, asking if off the top of my head I knew the ingredients and quantities to make fridge cake. I did not. However, thanks to new smart phone technology I located a recipe and read it out to her. By the end of the call my mind was made up, I was also making fridge cake.

We had a local Christmas Fayre coming up to show off our shiny calendars, so I thought I'd make the fridge cake for that event. Of course I had to make a batch to try out at home that particular day, as sometimes I'm just a wee bit impatient. I picked up the ingredients, no expenses spared, Green & Blacks chocolate all the way, ginger cookies and cranberries and headed home to create something sweet and nice. Needless to say the baking session, making session really, as there is no actual baking involved, was a success. Since that day I have made the recipe at least three more times - its a great one for gifts, neatly packed squares in a glass jar will go down a treat with friends, family members and work colleagues.

Here's the recipe - tailored for winter but easily adjustable.

Ingredients:

300g chocolate (I used Green & Blacks 85% cocoa and the one with ginger bits in)

150g butter

Splash cherry brandy (or anything else you happen to have a the back of the booze cupboard)

1 stem ginger, finely chopped

175g ginger cookies (or digestives), crushed into small chunks in a bag with a rolling pin

100g sultanas

150g dried cranberries

100g dried mixed berries

Method:

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of water. Stir in the cherry brandy and chopped stem ginger.

Stir in the ginger cookies, followed by the fruit.

Line a baking tin with clingfilm and then pour in the mixture. You may need to help it spread out and pack it down.

Put in the fridge to cool. When it is cold through you can easily take it out of the tin and cut into small manageable pieces.

Variations: mini marshmallows; glacier cherries; raisins; almonds; hazelnuts; macadamia nuts; dried apricots; pecans; pistachio; meringue pieces... the list goes on.

Share with friends or eat it all to yourself, either way it's going to be good. Enjoy!

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Vegetarian Winter Warmer

Apologies for the quiet spell on the blogging front, in the Keston Kitchen we have been rather occupied by the festive season and by selling lots of calendars (thanks to everyone who has bought one so far)!
This is one of my favourite dishes and I thought it would make an ideal January recipe because as well as warming you up, being stuffed full of vegetables, it makes you feel healthy! It is also pretty economical if you make a big vat of it.
The recipe is basically a vegetarian chilli, it comes from the first Leon cook book and is actually called Lee's Hippy Farm Beans. The Leon book is always the first place I look, on a weekend when I fancy making a one-pot wonder, easy to prepare but you need to have the time to allow it to cook nice and slowly.
I made this dish most recently, just before Christmas when Katie (previous guest chef) and Laura (crafty friend who happens to be vegetarian) were staying. There was thick snow on the ground outside but we were snug inside with blankets and bowls of beans.

Lee's Hippy Farm Beans

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 large aubergine
3 peppers (one yellow, one red, one orange looks pretty)
Ground cumin
1 big onion, roughly chopped
3 big cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
3 assorted fiery chillies (or not so fiery depending on who you are cooking for), roughly chopped
350g cherry tomatoes
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
2 tins beans (ideally one mixed and the other kidney, black bean or pinto)
Linghams Garlic and Chilli Sauce (available at Tesco, Waitrose and most importantly SMBS in East Dulwich)
300g baby spinach, well washed
Rock salt

And also (to serve):
Lime wedges (very important)
More chopped chillies or chilli sauce (I tend to make my chilli on the milder side and let people add more heat if they want it)
Grated cheese and/or sour cream (to counteract all that health)
1 pack of tortillas (I didn't bother with these as it is quite filling and so served with some tortilla chips instead)
3 avocados (if they are in season)


Start by putting 4 tbsp of olive oil in the pan. When the pan is hot, fry the aubergine and peppers for 15 minutes until golden and crisp. Season with salt and cumin, then take them out and put to one side.
Get the empty pan hot again, fry the onion in a bit more olive oil for a few minutes until it browns, then add the garlic and chillies. After a few more minutes add the cherry tomatoes. Again wait a few minutes before adding the tinned tomatoes, aubergine and peppers.
Bring to the boil and add the drained and rinsed beans. Now add a good glug of the chilli sauce. Turn the hob down to a low heat, a gentle simmer, cover the pan for 1/2 an hour, cook uncovered for a further hour; stir regularly. You want a gloopy, unky, smooth texture. Once it is ready, turn off the heat and stir in the spinach well until it is wilted.
You can then serve with as many or few extras as you wish!
Heat the tortillas if you are using them, mash or slice the avocados, wedge the limes, grate the cheese and dollop on the sour cream - yum!

Rachael x

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